PUBLISHED ONApril 26, 2025 3:18 AMByYeo Shu HuiRed Dot United's (RDU) Liyana Dhamirah has filed a police report on Thursday (April 24) over the online harassment she received after video clips of the party's press conference and interviews were shared on social media.
This comes after the 38-year-old made a Facebook post on Wednesday, calling out a netizen who mocked her with the comment "I want one nasi lemak chicken set".
Liyana, who is currently the manager of a non-profit organisation focused on gender equality and also RDU's treasurer, responded in her post that such comments are what minority candidates, "especially Malay women", still faced.
She updated in a separate Facebook post on Thursday that she has made a police report after being urged by several individuals to do so.
She wrote: "I am also aware that as someone seeking to represent you, I cannot stay silent. I need to speak up for the Malay community, for marginalised women and for the integrity of Singapore's social fabric. People who might not have endured as much as I did and steeled themselves against denigration. Because not everyone has the same armour I've had to build.
"Such hateful public discourse does nothing for any racial group, minority or majority. It has no place in the Singapore society I want to build."
In her police report which was shared with the media, Liyana stated she received comments which are "false accusations, racist and sexist".
The offensive comments she listed in the report included "Are you the one I paid ringgit to in Malaysia KFC last week", and "After election, with your salary, can eat 50 nasi lemak and mee siam every day".
RDU's secretary-general Ravi Philemon said in a statement yesterday that the party stands firmly behind Liyana and will not allow these "acts of bigotry to go unchallenged".
The 56-year-old wrote: "RDU strongly condemns these racially and religiously insensitive attacks, which have no place in our public discourse or democratic process.
"Let us be clear: this is not acceptable — not in public discourse, and certainly not in the midst of a general election."
He added that Singapore's society is founded on racial and religious harmony and the people's strength is in having the ability to "live with and learn from differences."
"When a candidate is attacked not for her views, but her the religion she professes and the race she belongs to, it goes against the values we hold dear as a nation."
He shared that the police are currently investigating the case and ended his statement with: "This election must be a contest of ideas — not a platform for hate."
Liyana, together with Ben Puah, Harish Mohanadas, Marcus Neo and Osman Sulaiman, will be contesting against People's Action Party's Grace Fu, David Hoe, Lee Hong Chuang, Murali Pillai and Rahayu Mahzam for the newly created Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC in the upcoming election on May 3.
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